Resumen

FLORES ABOGABIR, Marlene Lizette; MIRANDA ALVAREZ, Pablo; ALVARADO SANCHEZ, Meylin  y  PADILLA ARCE, Andrea. Elementos básicos para el diseño de productos turísticos comunitarios: experiencia desarrollada en el Golfo de Nicoya, Costa Rica. suma neg. [online]. 2010, vol.1, n.1, pp.25-44.  Epub 30-Mayo-2010. ISSN 2215-910X.

The touristic product is a unique experience which is designed from the resources, attractions, services, and the touristic destination infrastructure, with an innovative and creative vision that has to satisfy the visitors´ expectations. This means that designing touristic products includes not only the services or the touristic offer: It´s an experience, so the design must consider the complete experience of the people that may possible visit the place. This means that touristic products are not only the destinies or the activities that tourists can accomplish there, because the experience begins in their houses, from the moment in that the tourists decides to visit another place and starts to schedule the trip and all the related with it. Considering the previous, the general purpose of the article is to present basic elements to design with participative methodology, community touristic products in rural areas, labor that also serves to territorial planning of those areas and to improve the life quality of local populations, who see community tourism like an accessible alternative to generate complementary incomes to their traditional activities.

For this, we used the experience purchased in the design of touristic products and routes of the Golfo de Nicoya in Costa Rica, work that have being doing the Sede Regional Chorotega and the Escuela de Ciencias Geográficas of the Universidad Nacional.

For the design of touristic products we establish four moments with activities that will carry us to clarify the necessary steps for the design. The moments are: i) Basic questions to have present during the touristic products and routes design process; ii) The resources interpretation (put in value); iii) The products and routes delimitation; and iv) The Tourist Schedule and the schedule implementation.

As conclusions of the touristic products and routes design experience, we obtain that the design has to always begin from the local resources and touristic attractions. As well, for diminish the environmental, social and cultural impacts of tourism, it´s essential to use participative methodologies during the complete design process, so it will be the local population who decide about the use and profits of the touristic resources. Besides, if well is true that community tourism is seen like an income and social development alternative in rural latinamerican spaces, at the same time that it helps to the reproduction of local ways of life, for accomplish this the design have to guarantee determined conditions.

Palabras clave : Design of touristic products; Golfo de Nicoya; Rural Community Tourism; Community development; Touristic product; Touristic resources; Visitors..

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